


A very merry Christmas indeed

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Presents, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), Gen, Gift Giving, Orphanage, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21932572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Dick knows what it's like to be an orphan at Christmas time, and the last thing he wants is for some poor kid to go through the same thing he went through.It's a good thing his family agrees with and decides it's a cause worth getting along for. Especially Bruce. Surprisingly Bruce.
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	A very merry Christmas indeed

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to write a Christmas fic, but then I got this in my head and I couldn't stop myself, and I admit, it's not my best work, but I really hope that you enjoy it anyway xx

When Bruce arrived back at the Batcave on the night of Christmas Eve, he'd kind of expected to be met with the rest of his family. Sure, it wasn't a common occurrence, but they had been there when he left, and they promised they'd be there when he arrived, so he was a little stunned to see only Alfred there, as usual, cleaning up after the mess Bruce had made on his exit. Beakers and results were still strewn across the table and Alfred slapped a hand over them to stop them from flying away as Bruce pulled up in the car.

Bruce exited the Batmobile before it had even finished powering down and removed his cowl with a grunt. It had been an easy night, nothing more than a few thugs armed with crowbars and baseball bats in Crime Alley, but they had still managed to get a few good hits in, and his body ached in protest as he ignored it. "Long night, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he approached.

"Slow night, actually," Bruce replied as he discarded his heavy cowl thoughtlessly on the table. "Where are the others? I thought they said they'd be here." He wouldn't admit it, but he was a little disappointed that they hadn't waited around for him as they'd promised. He'd never quite gotten used to arriving in a cold, quiet lair.

If Bruce didn't know him, he would have said that there was a spark of mischief in Alfred's proud eyes. "They're all upstairs in the library, working on a little... project of sorts."

Bruce frowned. "Project? What project?"

There was definitely a smile on Alfred's lips now, and though it was small, it was unmistakably there. "I think it would be best if you went and had a look for yourself, sir."

Confused, Bruce slowly walked up the stairs to the catwalk and entered his home, Alfred not far behind him, and searched the halls for any sign of life until he reached the library. The heavy double doors were ajar and soft light was spilling out onto the floorboards from the roaring fireplace. Inside, Bruce could hear low voices and amiable conversation, and he looked to Alfred, who nodded.

Slowly, Bruce pushed the opened door the rest of the way and shoved his way inside, the brightness of the hearth making him blink at the warmth, and was met by a vast majority of his children sitting at any surface they could, writing out... greeting cards?

It was like an assembly line, starting at Dick and ending at Damian. They were big cards too, and they looked custom made- the big W of the Wayne. Inc insignia with swirly writing and mistle-toe scrawled across the bottom. Everyone looked up when Bruce walked in. "Uh... hello," he gave a small wave. "What's going on here?"

Jason snorted from where he was in the middle of the assembly line, stuck on the couch between Dick and Tim, elbow deep in stickers and sparkly gel-pens. "If you want someone to blame, it's Dickie's fault, so don't go punishing the rest of us because he's got a heart of gold."

"That's not fair," Harper said, glitter in her hair. "You agreed to it, which makes you partially responsible." Jason stuck his tongue out at her.

"A co-conspirator of sorts," Tim added. Jason flipped him the bird.

"Guys," Cullen sighed and clicked his fingers to get their attention from his position at Bruce's work desk. "Focus. If we get distracted now we won't finish in time. Now, the next kid is Charlie Wilson, he's nine and he wanted a toy fire-truck from Santa."

Still standing shocked-still at the doorway, Bruce cleared his throat. "Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but I really would like to figure out what's going on here. Because I still have no idea."

Stephanie waved her hand like it was obvious. "It's a production line old man, get with the program. Cullen gives us the name of a kid, Dick writes the formal bit of the card, Jason does the second bit but in colours, Tim spellchecks and adds the stickers, I decorate because I'm the most artistically inclined of this bunch, Harper fills the inside of the card with glitter, Cass puts it in the envelope and decorates it with little scribbles, and Damian seals the envelope."

Bruce still stared at them, agape. "I... can see that. Sort of." That was at least true- it was a jumbled mess of confusion, but he could tell who was doing what. "My main question is...  _ why  _ are you doing all this, exactly?"

"For a good, noble cause," Alfred leant in from behind him, and there was no longer denying the pride in his words.

With a flourish, Dick finally finished writing in his card and passed it to Jason, who took up the gel-pens and began writing Merry Christmas on the bottom. Dick looked up at Bruce for the first time then, and he looked tired but determined. "It's for the orphanage in Gotham," he explained. "I was going to do it for the one in Bludhaven but that one already has a sponsor of sorts so I thought I'd bring it here. We're writing a Christmas card for every orphan who doesn't have anyone to give them presents this year, and we're going to let them know that Wayne Enterprisers or Wayne Incorporated or whatever we're calling ourselves now hasn't forgotten them."

"And this is..." Bruce started, meeting Dick's gaze. "Your idea?"

Dick just shrugged like the matter was inconsequential. "I know what it's like to be an orphan and I remember that one of my biggest fears every year was Santa forgetting me on his one-night-a-year trips around the globe because I didn't have a home anymore and that I didn't deserve any presents because my parents were gone."

"Yeah, Dickie, but you used to live in a circus," Jason pointed out. "A moving circus that travelled the world."

Dick shrugged. "Even so, the circus always was and always will be my home. Not that I was ever an orphan for long," he amended at Cassandra's pointed look. "But I know how they feel. All of us have been orphaned or forgotten by our parents one way or another, and we've each been in these kids shoes. I just want to bring joy to these kids, one day of the year, you know?"

There was silence, broken by Cullen clearing his throat and saying, "Joseph Ryan, celebrates Hanukkah, seven years old," and the immediate scrambling of the others rushing to accommodate the change of celebration.

All Bruce could do was stand there, dumbfounded at the commotion in front of him. Alfred stood at his back as he so often did, ready to offer support wherever it was needed, but Bruce knew that the old butler was just as proud as he was. He watched in silence as Dick finished writing, Jason wrote 'Happy Hanukkah' in blue swirls and Tim put specially dedicated stickers on it, carefully correcting Jason's spelling of Hanukkah. "I can't believe you all would go to all this effort the night before Christmas."

"Of course we did, why wouldn't we?" Stephanie looked up from the card that had now arrived at her. "Hey, does anyone know what a dreidel looks like?"

"Google it," Harper said impatiently. "Come on Steph, you're holding up the line." Groaning, Stephanie pulled out her phone from her pocket and tried to sound out the complicated name.

Jason was watching Bruce with a critical expression. "He doesn't like it. He thinks that this is a bad idea."

"Of course he does. Even I think that it's a bad idea," Damian grumbled as he straightened the pile of envelopes he had been building.

"It's tedious is what it is," Tim said as he watched Stephanie carefully draw out the symbols on her wobbly looking, asymmetrical dreidel. "But it's impossible to say no to Dick's puppy-dog eyes."

"Connor Walker," Cullen interrupted. "Celebrated his tenth birthday a week ago, has been begging Santa for a Barbie doll for a couple of years and hasn't gotten one yet."

Tim frowned. "A Barbie doll?" he turned to Jason. "What do you think? You'd probably know the most about dolls and stuff."

Offended, Jason scoffed. "Why the hell would you think that I'd know anything about Barbie dolls? Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Out of all of us, you're the only one who actually lives with a little girl," Tim pointed out. 

Defeatededly, Jason grumbled, "The colour changing ones aren't bad, or the ones with the mermaid tail that's supposed to move in the water. But there isn't really any great ones," he was forced to stop his train of thought when Dick slapped down the newest card in front of him and he scrambled for a suitable pen to do his job.

But Dick, having ignored their whole little argument, met Bruce's eyes. "I don't care what Bruce thinks. This is important to me, and I'm going to do it regardless of how ridiculous or tedious it looks."

Bruce felt Alfred give him a push in the back, which wasn't really necessary because he was already moving forward, towards the pile of envelopes with his arms behind his back, careful not to ruin all the hard work they had done. "How many children have you done?"

"Uh," Cullen said as he turned to the computer and read out the numbers. "If we're on track, 86 kids,"

"How many have you got left to go?"

"If these numbers are correct on the orphanage's website? 124."

Even Damian looked horrified. "This orphanage holds 200 children? We've been here for hours and we still haven't gotten anywhere close to halfway!"

Cullen shrugged. "I told you that it would take a long time, but none of you believed me. Handwriting anything takes a forever, let alone writing Christmas cards for every child in an orphanage."

But Bruce was nodding. "Good, there's still time then. You make sure you finish those,"

They watched him as Bruce stepped around their little floor-table-couch arrangement and past Cullen at the desk until he got to the fireplace, where a phone was sitting by the window. "Uh, time for what, B?" Dick asked as Bruce picked up the phone.

"Plenty of time for me to make the proper arrangements," Bruce said as he quickly dialled a number into the landline and brought it to his ear as he waited for it to ring. "Hello, yes, is this the Wishes of Gotham foundation? This is Bruce Wayne. Yes, an honour to call this fine company as well. Anyway, I would like to make a donation- yes, a monetary one- for the Gotham City orphanage. Choose? What am I choosing? I understand. No, I want to give the money to your company, and the wish I would like fulfilled is for each and every child in that orphanage to have a present by Christmas morning, wrapped, signed by Santa and delivered courtesy of Wayne Incorporated. That's 200 children if our count is correct. No, the money won't be a problem. That sounds like a fine amount. You'll have this done by tomorrow? Thank you so much for your help. I'll send the money through to you immediately. Merry Christmas." and then he hung up the phone like no big deal.

He turned and faced them with a self-satisfied smile on his face, but paused when he noticed the looks he was getting. "What?"

"Uh, B?" Jason broke the silence. "What did you just do?"

Bruce lowered his hands to his sides and fixed every one of his children with a proud smile. "I've given those children a Christmas to remember. Wishes for Gotham- a charity I've literally only heard of a couple of days go- provides a single wish for a donor, but it has to be something that benefits the people of Gotham in some way. They were more than happy to accept a donation from billionaire Bruce Wayne to give 200 orphans some presents. Speaking of billionaire... Alfred? Could you deal with the transaction for the money? It doesn't matter how much they charge."

Bowing his head, Alfred hid his grin behind his hand. "It shall be done, sir." And then he was gone, chuckling quietly to himself as he walked down the hall towards the cave.

"The rest of you," Bruce said to the rest of his family. "It looks like you've got 124 cards to finish writing in, huh?"

There was a pause from everyone as they stared at Bruce in shock-horror at what he had done, but then Cullen shouted out, "Michelle Holt, five, wants a new talking teddy bear!" and the action started again, the names coming faster and the production line moving with double vigour. Even Damian was taking greater care in his simple part of sealing envelopes.

Even Bruce decided to get involved, sitting cross-legged beside Damian and tying the envelopes up in neat piles with gold string and decorating every bundle with red and green tinted ribbon and a Wayne wax seal. Cullen was calling out names faster than Dick could write them, and eventually, Alfred returned to join them in the assembly line and wrote every name in his olden-day, fancy cursive at the top of every card and the back of every envelope.

The phone rang again when they were finishing up the final card and Bruce was tying up the last bundle, and he lept up so quickly that if he were still wearing his cape, it would have gotten caught under his feet and he would have fallen flat on his face. "Hello?" he answered the phone a little breathless. "Yes, this is Bruce Wayne. You're ready? So soon? I must say, I'm impressed. Expect good reviews on your websites. Yes, I would love for them to be delivered as soon as possible if that's alright. Immediately? Yes, that would be splendid. Thank you very much."

When he hung up the phone, he stood still over the desk for a moment and his family hung with bated breath until he laughed heartily and announced. "Get dressed."

"We're already dressed," Tim said, waving at their matching Christmas sweaters.

Bruce just shook his head. "No, I don't mean those clothes, Tim. I mean your work clothes."

There was a momentary pause as everyone tried to process what he just said. "Why?" Damian asked. "You've just come back from patrol- you're still wearing half of your uniform!"

As she always did, Cassandra was the first one to figure it out, and she gasped, eyes wide. "Santa?" She whispered, and everyone turned to her, the command suddenly making sense.

"You've got it," Bruce said. "We're personally going to make sure that Charlie Wilson gets his toy firetruck tonight."

He watched as all his children lept up and sprinted down the hall, practically running into each other in their haste, and he grinned. "Alfred, Cullen, could you help me pack these away so they're easier to carry?" he waved at the bundles of letters. "I don't want to lose any."

Cullen bent down to begin stacking them, but Alfred didn't move immediately, he just stared with an unreadable expression on his face and a wet glint in his eyes. "If you don't mind me saying, sir," he began. "But I think this is going to be the best Christmas that this house has seen in a long time."

"Alfred?" Bruce said as he listened to his children screaming joyfully with so much volume that the sound actually echoed from the cave up through the tunnels to reach them in the library. Dick was singing Christmas carols at the top of his lungs. So were Steph and Harper, but they were singing two completely different carols to the one Dick was singing. Jason was just screaming for the sake of screaming. "I think you're right."

It was very late when they all began to approach the orphanage. Bruce could only thank Christmas eve for the lack of any activity on the streets, criminal or otherwise, but they made it there in good time, each carrying at least one bundle of letters.

"Give Dick the letters," Bruce said once they stopped at the building opposite the orphanage. Dick looked at him strangely as he began unbuckling the bundling from his belt and the others did the same. "Hurry, the trucks will be here soon."

"Why are you giving these to me?" Dick frowned as bundles were shoved into his waiting arms.

"Because this whole thing was your idea," Bruce explained. "It's only fair if you do the honours of delivering them."

"We should all go," Dick argued. "Everyone went through all that trouble to get them done in time, it should be all of us."

Shaking his head, Bruce placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "It needs to be you. This was your plan, your idea, the thing you believed in most. We all may have played a part in this, but without you, it wouldn't have ever happened. It needs to be _you_." There was a lot of things that Bruce wasn't saying there, but by the look in Dick's eyes, it was obvious he understood what Bruce had left unspoken.

Wordlessly, Dick made sure he had a stronger grip on his precious cargo and leapt off the edge of the building. He crossed the road and he carefully left the bundles at the front door and rang the doorbell, before sprinting up and away to rejoin the rest of his family on the rooftop.

He made it just as the door opened and someone found all the packages, and the first truck filled to the brim with presents turned the corner onto the darkened street. The caretaker gasped and ran inside, and soon children of all ages and other members of staff rushed out in excitement to greet the trucks.

Harper's phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket with a frown. "Cullen? What's wrong?" she answered it. Her eyes went wide and she pulled it away from her ear before putting it on loud-speaker. "Can you say that again?"

"I left a gift in your bag," Cullen said, voice filled with mischief. "Consider this my personal Christmas gift to the orphanage since I can't be there." And then he hung up the phone just as children were starting to pull gifts from the arms of the charity workers and the caretakers were warning them not to open them until tomorrow morning.

Standing with his arms crossed, Jason turned to Bruce. "We're just going to stand here all night? What if they see us?"

"Not all night," Bruce said. "Just long enough for a few of the kids to catch us, and to realize that they're safe."

He hadn't even finished speaking before some of the kids in the windows saw them and started screaming, and then some of the children down below caught them, and so did the caretakers, and the children waved and jumped for joy and called for them in excitement.

"Holy shit!" Harper called as she finished digging through her bag and pulled out a long string of Christmas lights. "God, I love that kid!"

Grinning, Stephanie took them and handed Cassandra the other end, and they shared a look before they lept off the rooftop towards the building, Harper and Tim and Damian following them. 

Laughing, Jason lept down to join Tim with the kids and after giving Bruce a big hug, Dick jumped down too. The joy on the children's faces at seeing their heroes decorating their home and all the toys being delivered made it all worth it.

It was going to be a great Christmas indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!!


End file.
